In their hands they carried guidebooks produced outside of Turkey. They were all anxious to learn something, and I immediately noted the absence of an experienced guide. I am glad to see that this deficiency has been overcome today, although we no longer enjoy the luxury of traveling to Çanakkale by Turkish Airlines. I don’t believe there are any scheduled flights today. I had completed my duties and was ready to return to Istanbul. But when I came out onto the street to go to the airport, soldiers blocked my path. It was 27 May 1960 and there had been a coup!

They took us to the airport in a GMC. We waited there for a long time in a terminal the size of a barracks. Permission to return finally came through that evening. There were about twenty of us. Clearly Turkish Airlines had been unable to get the plane ready due to the coup. The passengers were served rations prepared for the Command of the Turkish Fleet! Cold meatballs, a boiled egg, a chunk of white cheese and a medium-sized apple.